Here’s the new reality: Do not make Nate Robinson angry; you will not like him when he’s angry. C.J. Watson got Nate angry in the first half of yesterday’s incredible triple-OT Bulls/Nets game with this altercation that very nearly erupted in an all-out brawl (and sent Robinson to the locker room to clean up a cut), sowing the seeds for an all-time Nate eruption later in the game:
What came later is already the stuff of legend. The Bulls were down 14 points with just a few minutes left in the game, and they looked dead in the water. Then Nate went absolutely berserker, scoring 12 straight points on an array of deep jumpers and pull-ups that for the most part didn’t even touch the rim. He single-handedly erased the Bulls’ deficit and sent the game into overtime. He scored 23 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, one short of Michael Jordan‘s team record for most points in a quarter by a Bull in a playoff game. [WATCH HIS 4TH QUARTER BUCKETS HERE]
Here’s what Nate said after the game about his run:
“I always think I’m on fire, kind of like the old school game NBA Jam. You make a couple in a row, the rim’s on fire. You shoot the ball, the ball’s on fire. I feel like that at times — all the time. Whenever I’m in the game, I just play with a lot of confidence. You kind of have to lie to yourself and feel like you can’t miss.”
Carlos Boozer had this to say about the 4th quarter comeback and Chicago’s strategy: “We got a stop, and got the ball to Nate. Then we got a stop, and got the ball to Nate. Then we got a stop, and got the ball to Nate.”
And somehow, the game was just really getting going at that point. In overtime, Nate hit this stupid bank shot over Deron Williams with two seconds left to put Chicago up:
Then Joe Johnson came right back to stick this runner to send it to a second overtime:
Nate eventually fouled out in the second overtime, and in the third OT, Chicago’s other guys stepped up and started knocking down shots, putting the Bulls in position to pull away and lock up a 142-134 victory to put them up 3-1 in the series …
He said it, we didn’t:
On the next page, J.R. Smith get punished for throwing ‘bows and the Sixers are now responsible for the worst name in professional sports …
With only about 15 hours to go before Game 4 of the Knicks/Celtics series, the NBA announced that J.R. Smith would be suspended for this:
We’re not sure what took so long for the decision, but that’s really not a whole lot of time for the teams to adjust …
Game 4 of Clippers/Grizzlies was won in the trenches. Memphis’ bigs were dominant, as Marc Gasol 24, 13 boards, four assists) and Zach Randolph (24 and nine rebounds) set the tone with the inside-outside game, leading Memphis to an easy 104-83 W to tie the series 2-2. Reportedly, Lionel Hollins ripped into Gasol at the half for not being aggressive and the big man responded with 18 in the second half …
Not a good post-game look for Memphis fans as they allegedly showered Clippers players with food and trash as they made their way to locker room after the final buzzer. Obviously, this isn’t indicative of all of the fans in the building, but it’s still not cool:
Yesterday afternoon the Philadelphia 76ers held a press conference to announce that they had acquired a D-League franchise to be based in Delaware. All good, right? Yeah, well they followed that up with a naming/marketing move that makes calling a basketball team the “Pelicans” look like unbridled genius.
That’s right, the DELAWARE 87ERS. From the press release:
The team name “87ers” was selected in recognition of Delaware’s place in United States history, as it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. The 87ers name also is immediately evocative of the parent “76ers,” a name similarly derived from Philadelphia’s place in U.S. history with the Declaration of Independence being signed there in 1776. The 87ers team will also be nicknamed the “Sevens,” a nod to the way the parent club’s official name is often shortened to the “Sixers.”
We don’t care if Ben Franklin rose from the dead and came up with the name, it’s pretty much the worst thing ever …
Quick update about Tony Parker‘s Game 4 status:
Seeing as how Metta World Peace and both Steves (Nash and Blake) are all out for Game 4, it really doesn’t matter if TP (or any of the Spurs’) starters suit up…
The Pacers showed up in Atlanta yesterday looking pretty disinterested and got smacked in the teeth by a Hawks team suddenly full of life after getting bulldozed in Games 1 and 2. Larry Drew juggled his starting lineup a bit, tossing Johan Petro into the mix to give Atlanta a bigger look. The new matchups turned Al Horford loose for 26 and 16 – there was a stretch in the first half where was just mauling Tyler Hansbrough, taking away rebounds, tossing Psycho T out of the way and backing him down and dunking on his face like it was nothing.
The Hawks appeared to be ultra-prepared for this one. Doris Burke pointed out in the first that that Anthony Tolliver was calling out the names of the Pacers’ plays before they even started running them. This series suddenly feels different …
On the next page, Kevin Durant shows up in Houston with an “S” on his chest …
The day did not start well whatsoever for the Oklahoma City Thunder when reality set in that there would be no miraculous Russell Westbrook return.
After the surgery, Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti was quoted as saying that “the results of the surgery itself were the best-case scenario fir Russell, both as a player and a person.” And then he noted that Russ started rehab that afternoon …
As for the game, it started with Kendrick Perkins acting like some sort of hockey goon enforcer looking out for his star skill player. He had already been saying wild stuff LIKE THIS after Russ got hurt, then he did this to Patrick Beverley on what was basically the first play of the game:
If there is a silver lining to Westbrook’s injury, it’s that we get to see what Kevin Durant look like when he has the ultimate green light and absolutely no one to share shots with. He came out firing, blitzing Houston with 27 first-half points, including a massive dunk on Omer Asik …
To start, the Thunder were absolutely rolling and at one point they were actually up by 26 on Houston. But then the warts started to show. In the face of constant double teams, tough defense from Francisco Garcia and no rest, KD started to fade. Without Westbrook, the Thunder become a team of role players standing around watching one superstar trying to do it all. And when the shots stopped falling, Houston came roaring back, catching and actually taking the lead with less than five minutes to play. Then, with his team down two with :40 to play, Durant came out of a timeout to hit a three that saw the ball bounce to the top of the glass before dropping through (he finished with 41). OKC held on to win and go up 3-0 in the series, but they’re clearly going to be in a bad place against better teams in Round 2…
We’re out like J.R. in Game 4.
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